Novel use of direct self-assembly technique for patterning trench contact lines with excellent control of line variability

At smaller critical dimensions, edge placement errors (EPE) are dominated by patterning stochastics. The directed self-assembly (DSA) is a patterning technique which enables significantly better variation control and CD uniformity than EUV resists at lower dose. It can also rectify EUV patterning defects. In this study we investigate the use of DSA for contact trench patterning and quantify the performance, reliability, and yield improvements over the EUV patterning.